By 1st Lt. Albert Bosco
81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.
-- As Keesler Air Force Base medical personnel walked
to the doors of a local high school turned shelter, a
man approached with wide eyes and a huge smile. Stopping
a few steps from the Airmen, he raised a hand to his brow
and said “I salute you. I’m proud of you all and thank
you for your support.”
Jack Shotwell had been in another
shelter, but was forced to relocate with his son due to
poor conditions. Interaction with Keesler Airmen was a
sign that help was arriving – and he, along with nearly
40 other shelter residents, welcomed it.
While the Mississippi Gulf Coast
is focusing on rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, medical personnel from Keesler are providing
comfort to many still residing in area shelters.
Every day, two teams of medical
personnel consisting of doctors, nurses and social workers
visit area shelters to evaluate the health of residents
and provide medical care as needed.
“Once we were able to leave
our shelters after Hurricane Katrina, we immediately began
responding to calls for assistance from the community,”
said Brig. Gen. William Lord, 81st Training Wing commander.
One such call came Sept. 1,
when a local police officer approached Keesler personnel
to request medical aid at a shelter located in a junior
high school just outside the base’s gates.
“The officer told us there were
a lot of people in the shelter and they were getting sick
due to the lack of food, water and sanitary living conditions,”
the general said. “We immediately dispatched a medical
team with food, water and medical supplies in order to
assess the situation and provide treatment to the extent
possible.”
The medical humanitarian missions
have continued daily for the medical teams, visiting more
than a dozen shelters in just a few days after the hurricane
devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“It’s such a great feeling to
be a part of this effort,” said 1st Lt. Schavonne Fludd,
a basic personnel officer course instructor stationed
at Keesler, who is also the coordinator for the medical
teams’ humanitarian missions, during a follow-on visit
to a local high school gymnasium that is housing hurricane
victims. “In many cases, we are the only source of medical
care these folks will receive.”
And the care is well-received
by residents of the shelters.
According to Gulfport police
officer Eddie Hilliard, it was a blessing to see Keesler
personnel arrive at the badly neglected shelter.
“I was the only source of support
for this shelter for four days after the storm,” he said.
“There were about 170 people living here and there was
no food, water, electricity or plumbing, so conditions
deteriorated quickly. Suddenly, the military showed up
and brought some food and water, and the medical team
arrived to provide care to those needing medical attention.
It was the first food and only medical care these people
received.”
The team returned to the shelter
a couple days later to check on the progress and provide
any additional care that as needed. Once again, smiles
abound as the team circulated through the gym to talk
to residents and “bandage” any ills. In fact, one of the
team’s doctors borrowed a satellite phone from the unit’s
accompanying HAMMER ACE communications team to consult
a cardiologist on behalf of a resident who required medication
but had none.
“It’s a blessing to have the military
here,” Shotwell said. “You don’t really know what they
do until they show up and really step up to help. It’s
like getting a shot in the arm.”
